Spiritual abuse occurs when a person in religious authority or a person with a unique spiritual practice misleads and maltreats another person in the name of God or church or in the mystery of any spiritual concept. Spiritual abuse often refers to an abuser using spiritual or religious rank in taking advantage of the victim's spirituality (mentality and passion on spiritual matters) by putting the victim in a state of unquestioning obedience to an abusive authority.

Spiritual abuse is the maltreatment of a person in the name of God, faith, religion, or church, whether habitual or not, and includes any of the following:

Psychological and emotional abuse

Any act by deeds or words that demean, humiliate or shame the natural worth and dignity of a person as a human being

Submission to spiritual authority without any right to disagree; intimidation

Unreasonable control of a person's basic right to make a choice on spiritual matters

False accusation and repeated criticism by negatively labeling a person as disobedient, rebellious, lacking faith, demonized, apostate, enemy of the church or God

Prevention from practicing faith

Isolation or separation from family and friends due to religious affiliation

Physical abuse that includes physical injury, deprivation of sustenance, and sexual abuse

Exclusivity; dismissal of an outsider's criticism and labeling an outsider as of the devil

Withholding information and giving of information only to a selected few

Conformity to a dangerous or unnatural religious view and practice

Hostility that includes shunning, (relational aggression, parental alienation) and persecution